


Unseen

by tobeconspicuous



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Crack Treated Seriously, Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Invisibility, M/M, Sort of? - Freeform, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 02:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14274627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeconspicuous/pseuds/tobeconspicuous
Summary: Realization dawned, and a feeling of relief followed by utter terror washed over Sonny. He looked at Carmen, who had clearly come to the same conclusion, her eyes wide in complete shock.Barba was the last to realize. “I can’t-- oh.”Oh indeed. It appeared that Sonny Carisi was Rafael Barba’s soulmate.





	Unseen

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still alive! Just insanely busy getting back into the swing of things.
> 
> This absolutely insane soulmate AU comes from the wish list prompt " _Soulmate AU where one of them doesn’t realize the other exists_ ", I tweaked it slightly and I hope I made it work.
> 
> Many thanks to ChameleonCircuit as always for the beta, we're both Australian's so any mistakes are unintentional. And to Astronaut_Milky for Sonny's ringtone for Rafael, and yet when he finds out he is super offended.
> 
> I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do too. Feedback is very much appreciated.

Sonny had always looked up to Rafael Barba. Ever since he first heard the name during one of his lectures and looked up his exploits he had admired the man. He had been shunted from borough to borough for a few months before he found himself at Manhattan SVU and meeting the man he had wanted to meet since he had first heard his name.

The experience was underwhelming. 

Barba didn’t even look at him, let alone acknowledge his presence. He treated Sonny as though he wasn’t even in the room, ignoring all input the detective tried to make before strutting away with his head held high.

Amaro thought it was funny.

Rollins said it was normal.

Fin told him not to take it to heart.

Sonny couldn’t help but take it personally, but each time Barba ignored him it wore his resolve down. The detective worked hard, attempted to complete his paperwork on time and ensured his case files were handed over to Barba’s secretary on time. Still, Barba dismissed him.

One afternoon Sonny went to knock on Benson’s office door, he wanted to head home early as he had a class that evening. Instead he overheard a conversation between his Sergeant and the prosecutor.

“Useless,” Barba had muttered as he leaned into Benson’s couch. “He keeps submitting blank forms, I only seem to receive typed reports from him.”

“I’ll talk to him, Rafael,” she sounded tired. “Though everything he gives to me is immaculate.”

“Clearly he just wants to antagonize me,” Barba scowled.

Benson just sighed, clearly they’d had this conversation before. “I don’t think so, he seems to look up to you.”

“I highly doubt that,” Sonny could practically hear the man’s eyes roll.

Benson soothed. “Just try to be nice to him.”

“Fine,” the prosecutor’s  tone was harsh. “I will when I see him next.”

Sonny fought back the anger that bubbled beneath the surface. Not willing to wait around, he grabbed his coat and his bag and shouted at Rollins to let the Sergeant know he had to get to class. If he couldn’t impress Barba in the office, Sonny would at least try to impress him with his legal knowledge.

\--

A few weeks later Sonny found himself outside of Barba’s office. The detective had found himself becoming increasingly bitter towards the man ever since he had overheard the conversation between the prosecutor and Benson.

“Is Barba busy?”

“Not at all,” Carmen flashed a polite smile. “Just knock before entering.”

“Thanks,” he smiled back at her.

Sonny made his way to the main door and knocked gently -- no response. He waited five minutes, still nothing. He looked at Carmen who just nodded at him, so he plastered a big smile on his face before he finally entered.

“Sorry to bother you, Barba,” he tried to keep his tone smooth and even. “I just wanted to speak with you.” The man didn’t acknowledge him at all. “See this is what I am talking about, I need you to give me something, some sort of acknowledgement that I exist would be nice.” Still no response. “Just answer me.”

When he was once again met with silence Sonny stormed over to the prosecutor’s desk. He waved his hands in the man’s face before tapping him on the shoulder, still nothing. Sonny marched around to the front of the man's desk and pushed some papers off of it, relishing in the sound of the paper fluttering.

“Carmen,” Rafael looked up and around the room, a small frown upon his face as he called out. “Why is my door open?”

Sonny couldn’t believe it, that was what caught the prosecutor’s attention? His precious paper’s being scattered? The detective bristled at the thought.

Carmen appeared immediately. “Detective Carisi is here to see you.”

“Oh, the new detective?” His brow quirked as he stood up. “Send him in.”

“I am here,” Sonny snapped, causing Carmen to jump.

“Mr Barba, Sir,” Carmen walked slowly towards the desk. “Are you alright?”

Rafael bent down and started to gather the papers. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“It’s just that...he’s right in front of you, sir,” Carmen’s voice slightly shook.

Rafael stood straight up, his voice strained. “Who?”

“Detective Carisi,” Carmen finished.

Realization dawned, and a feeling of relief followed by utter terror washed over Sonny. He looked at Carmen, who had clearly come to the same conclusion, her eyes wide in complete shock.

Barba was the last to realize. “I can’t-- oh.”

Oh indeed. It appeared that Sonny Carisi was Rafael Barba’s soulmate.

\--

The phone was resting on Sonny’s kitchen bench, he had taken it off speaker and left it there, ready for him to pick up at a moments notice. He had kept an eye on it while he cooked dinner, then while he ate dinner, and while he cleaned up after himself. Still it did not ring.

It was hard for Sonny not to take it personally.

After all, he was Rafael Barba’s soulmate, even if the man couldn’t see him.

The soulmate phenomenon was a recent discovery, though there had been mentions of a persons other half throughout history, people thought it was a fantasy. It wasn’t until the invention of the camera that people realized that soulmates were a reality, and even then they were considered rare. This was because you could not see your soulmate or communicate through natural means, which meant you were unable to talk or write to them, at least not until you actually fell in love with them. When computers became a household item people discovered they could communicate via email, text message and even see them through video chat.

Which was why Sonny had left his phone on the kitchen bench in the first place.

He was waiting for Rafael to call. After a brief conversation via Carmen the prosecutor had grown frustrated and said he would call. Which is why Sonny had tried to distract himself with cooking, cleaning, and even some handiwork, all of which would have gone faster if he hadn’t kept checking his phone every five minutes.

_ She’s into superstitions, black cats and voodoo dolls. _

Sonny jumped as the notes of ‘Livin La Vida Loca’ erupted from his phone. He reached over and picked the device up, fumbling with it slightly before he was finally able to swipe to answer.

“Hello?”

“Carisi,” Barba’s sharp voice sounded particularly aggravated. “I didn’t call to look at your ear.”

“Oh, right,” Sonny mumbled sheepishly before he moved the phone away from his ear. He stared down at the image of the prosecutor, who appeared to have only just gotten home from work. “Hi.”

The man’s eyes went wide and then narrowed as they flittered up and down, taking in all of Sonny’s face and neck. That was when it clicked in the detective’s head that the prosecutor was actually seeing him for the first time. His stomach swooped and Sonny began to feel a buzz of excitement, a smile blossoming across his face.

“How’re you doing, Counselor?” Sonny chuckled.

Barba rolled his eyes and huffed. "You're better looking than I expected, even if I'll be left with a constant headache thanks to that accent."

“You think I’m pretty, Counselor?” Sonny threw a wink, ignoring the rest of the man’s statement. “You’re not to bad yourself.”

“I’m glad you think that, Detective,” the prosecutor sighed. “I just don’t know if I could have survived if you didn’t tell me that.”

“Good to know you’re always this sarcastic,” Sonny padded away from his kitchen and to his couch, he flopped down ungracefully.

Barba scoffed, his eyes would fall out if he rolled them harder. “Really?”

“Just making myself comfortable,” Sonny shrugged. “I would suggest you do the same--”

“Thank you, Carisi,” he sounded tired. “But I wasn’t planning on talking to you for long enough to need to make myself comfortable.”

“That’s all right.” Sonny tried to keep the frown from his face as he sat up. “Let’s cut to the chase then, what do you want to do about this?”

“About what?”

“Don’t play coy, Counselor,” he couldn’t help but smirk at Barba. “What do you want to do about the whole ‘ _ you being unable to see me _ ’ thing?”

“Right now? Nothing,” Barba answered honestly. “I’d really like to have a drink and head to bed.”

“Oh…”

“Carisi,” the prosecutor’s green eyes looked beautiful and wide through the phone screen. “I know I haven’t always been easy on you--”

“Understatement,” Sonny chuckled.

“--but please know I’m willing to sit down and have a conversation with you,” Barba continued, ignoring the interruption. “And then we’ll see.”

“We’ll see?” He couldn’t help the teasing tone.

Barba rolled his eyes yet again. “Don’t expect miracles, Carisi, lets see if we can have a meal together first.”

“We can do that,” the detective readily agreed.

“Send me your schedule,” Barba loosened his tie. “I’ll try for the next week.”

“Gee thanks,” this time Sonny rolled his eyes.

“Carisi,” he warned.

“All right, all right,” he smiled. “Night, Counselor.”

“Goodnight, Detective,” and with that Rafael Barba ended the call.

Sonny collapsed back on the couch, his heart racing and his palms sweaty. He had a date, with Rafael Barba. He honestly didn’t know what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. Still, Sonny wasn’t one to question his luck, he’d just have to wait and see what happened next.

\--

Unsurprisingly, Barba had chosen Forlini’s as the location for their dinner date. Sonny knew Liv would frequently meet the man there for drinks during rougher cases. Now it was Sonny’s turn.

The man sat alone at the bar, hunched over paperwork, pen in hand. Sonny tried clearing his throat before he foolishly realized that the man would be unable to hear him, he reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. Barba jumped before looking around, his brow furrowing when he realized that he couldn’t see anyone.

“Carisi?” He scowled and reached into his pocket. “If that’s you, call me.”

Sonny was glad the prosecutor couldn’t see how red his face was. He pulled his phone out, unlocked it, took a deep breath and dialled Barba. A smirk curled at the corner of the man’s mouth before he finally deigned himself to answer.

“Detective.”

“Barba,” Sonny tried to hide the sarcasm in his tone. “Shall we go to our table?”

“Let’s get this over with,” the prosecutor sighed before downing the rest of his scotch.

The awkward couple made their way over to a table in the corner. Barba slid onto a seat then gestured to the empty one, so Sonny followed suit. They sat there awkwardly, Barba with his phone pressed to his ear, clearly waiting for Sonny to say something.

The detective coughed.

He had never experienced anything like it, sitting awkwardly at a table with someone who had no concept of Sonny as a person, or at least his physical presence. Still, Barba had the uncanny ability to know exactly where his eyes were and managed a glare which made Sonny wither.

“So…” He blurted out the first question that came to mind. “When are you going to call me Sonny?”

The prosecutor let out an exaggerated sigh before raising his brow. “Probably never.”

Sonny tried not to let his disappointment show, he changed tactics.  “When can I call you Rafael?”

“After I call you Sonny,” Barba didn’t miss a beat. Sonny slumped back in the booth, defeated. “Carisi,” the prosecutor’s tone was soft, cautious. “We can end this here and now if you want.”

“Is that what you want?” There was more venom in the question than intended, but since it was out there Sonny decided to actually say what he had been fearing. “‘Cause that’s the feeling I’ve been getting from you, and I don’t think that’s fair. You treated me poorly and assumed that I was incompetent, and I think you still believe that.”

“Carisi--”

“Let me finish,” Sonny needed to say everything before he lost his courage. “It’s not my fault that the universe decided that I am perfect for you, it’s not my fault that you couldn’t see my handwriting or any of my notes, so stop punishing me for it. If you want to step away that’s cool, but I am asking you to give this a shot.”

“Carisi,” Barba winced at the slip before he cleared his throat. “Dominick--”

“Sonny,” the detective automatically corrected.

Barba rolled his eyes before continuing. “--I wont say this often, but you’re right. I am judging you on assumptions I had made before this revelation.”

“Thanks,” Sonny couldn’t help but smirk.

“So I agree,” Barba forced a smile before he continued. “We’ll see how tonight goes, then we can make a decision.”

“Sounds good to me,” a shy smile broke out upon Sonny’s face, and once more the detective was happy that the prosecutor couldn’t see him.

“But first,” Barba flagged down the waiter. “Drinks.”

\--

After the initial awkwardness had passed, dinner went surprisingly smoothly. They had managed to keep the conversation from veering into work related topics and Sonny had even been able to draw a few laughs from the prosecutor. As the evening wound down and they finished their last drinks, argued over the bill, and made their way out of the restaurant, Sonny felt invigorated.

He waited as Barba tapped away on his phone as he ordered an Uber. Once his ride was confirmed Rafael bought the phone to his ear and cocked his brow. He gestured to Sonny, indicating that the younger man should talk.

“So…” Sonny trailed off, not wanting to sound too eager. “Did you want to do this again sometime.”

“Surprisingly enough I do,” Barba gave a rare, genuine smile.

“You free on the weekend?” Sonny pushed, wanting to see the man again sooner rather than later. “I have Sunday off.”

“Brunch?” Barba offered as his car pulled up to the curb.

“Sure,” the detective beamed. “It’s a date.”

“Goodnight, Detective,” Barba murmured as he climbed into the car.

His tone made Sonny’s heart flutter. “Night, Barba.”

\--

Brunch went well, so they scheduled another date, and another, then another, until finally they were video chatting every evening. It had been strange for both men, dating where one was unable to see the other, but somehow they had made it work.

Which is how they found themselves, several months into their relationship, awkwardly lying beside each other. Sonny was itching, he wanted to reach out and touch Barba, trace every curve of the man’s body. Yet that didn’t seem possible. Would Barba even feel his touch, or would there be nothing? Sonny was desperate to find out, he just couldn’t find the right way to ask.

Barba was the first to break the awkward tension. “Sonny--”

“You just called me Sonny,” the detective gasped, excitement bubbling in his chest. “Does this mean I can call you Rafael?”

“Obviously,” Barba--  _ Rafael _ scoffed.

Sonny felt his face grow warm, he took a deep breath before he finally asked the question. “Can I try and touch you?”

“Please,” his breath hitched as his eyes grew wide.

Sonny sat up before he tentatively reached out to cup Rafael’s cheek in the palm of his hand. “Anything?”

“No,” Rafael’s voice was laced with disappointment.

Sonny moved his hand down Rafael’s neck, he traced a finger along the man’s collarbone, enjoying the sensation of the bronze skin below. “How about now?”

“Nothing,” the prosecutor’s voice grew more bitter.

Sonny withdrew his hand and lay back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbow. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” a small smile curled onto Rafael’s face.

“It’s just,” Sonny’s heart was beating rapidly and his palms were sweating. “Do you think you’ll ever feel me?” It wasn’t Rafael’s fault that they may never have a normal relationship, but that didn’t mean that Sonny wasn’t hurt by their situation. He took another deep breath as he tried not to show how pained he was. “Ever see me?”

“I honestly don’t know,” the prosecutor’s voice cracked.

“It’s okay,” Sonny forced a smile. “I don’t mind staying like this.” He could feel blood rush through his ears. He just had to try something else, had to try harder. “If you concentrate enough you may be able to feel me.”

Rafael’s voice dropped. “Sonny--”

“Did you try?” Sonny couldn’t help the bitter words that fell from his mouth. 

Rafael flinched. “Sonny--”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t trying,” he tried to back peddle, hating the fact he had made the older man flinch. “I just--”

“Sonny, please,” Rafael sighed as he raized a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Just let me get a word in.” Sonny flashed an apologetic smile. “Thank you,” Rafael looked up to meet Sonny’s gaze, bright blue eyes locking with emerald green ones. “Sonny, I love you and--”

Rafael froze, his eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open mid sentence. 

Sonny waited for the man to continue. The silence was starting to curl around them both. “Rafael?” He prompted gently. “Are you going to say anything?” The man’s eyes seemed to search around rapidly, taking everything in. “I’m getting a little worried here…”

“Sonny,” the smile that broke out across the prosecutor’s face took the detective’s breath away.

His response was hesitant. “Yes, Rafael?” 

“You’re beautiful,” two words had never been said with more light or more awe.

Sonny’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

Rafael sat up so he was hovering over the younger man. Mimicking the actions Sonny had taken before, he reached out and cupped Sonny’s face in the palms of his hand. He brushed a thumb across Sonny’s mouth before letting both hands run down his neck, over his shoulders and along his arms.

Rafael then reached out and grabbed Sonny’s chin with his thumb and forefinger before he leaned down, his mouth hovering over Sonny’s own. It was Sonny who closed the gap, reaching up to wind his fingers through Rafael’s soft curls for the first time.

The kiss was unlike anything Sonny had experienced before, hot and electric, but soft and tender all at once. An overwhelming rush which only grew more intense as they kissed again, and again, and again. When they finally parted, both men were panting and their lips were swollen. Rafael chuckled, as he leaned down to press his forehead against Sonny’s.

“Beautiful.”


End file.
